Jeff Brown

Nina by Jeff BrownDrawn using Alchemist Mediums Red Chalk

"My name is Jeff Brown and I am a sculptor who also makes many drawings. I am particularly in love with the red chalk drawings created by the old masters such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, Bernini and Matisse. To make my own drawings in this medium, I searched all over for a supplier of red chalk - and almost gave up.

During my search, I found that many suppliers often call certain drawing materials ‘red chalk' when in fact they are referring to man-made products such as Conte crayons. I couldn't find a single supplier offering the same type chalk used by the old masters.

Finally, I learned that Donald Fels of Alchemist Mediums might have some real red chalk available - even though it was not listed in his catalog at the time.

Sure enough, Donald was kind enough to sell me a few chunks of red chalk that he had collected himself. (from some secret source)

I now have about two years of experience with Donald's red chalk and I must say I am totally delighted with it for a couple of reasons.

First, and most importantly, the material is free from any wax or binders, meaning that it is very forgiving when I happen to 'overwork' a drawing. If you are careful to not abuse your paper, you can almost always completely rework any line, or area of shading - leaving your paper intact. This is virtually impossible with other so-called 'red chalk' materials that use wax binders.

Second, I like the fact that I can use the powdered 'shavings' that come from cutting the chalk to fit in a holder to make my own "watercolor" washes to enhance my drawings.

Donald recommends sharpening the chalk with a razor but I prefer using sandpaper to form a sharp point. Of course, because this type of chalk does not have any binders in it, finished drawings will almost always require a good quality fixative to protect them.

I find that the red chalk from Alchemist Mediums lets me create images with super-subtle shading that simply wouldn't be possible with other drawing materials."